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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Feel the Pow-ah!

I am a big believer in the power of food. I think we can all agree that eating well leads to feeling better. But I think we can also agree that food can do much more than nourish the body. Whenever we have people over, people congregate around the kitchen. We love to chow down with friends and family over a yummy meal. And I find that whenever I'm feeling down, cooking for loved ones makes me feel better.

Enter... bento.

I don't do them often, and honestly, haven't done them in a while. But after reading about them, and asking Kendall about them from his year in Japan, I started making some bento-inspired lunches a few months ago. They take more time, and so I haven't been making them recently. But last night, I decided I could use a bento-session. I packed a regular lunch, but made it bento-tastic by cutting carrots into stars and arranging it in a plastic container. In a way, it's a creative outlet. I've seen some beautiful bentos on the internet than anyone would love to eat. The food is artfully displayed and looks delicious. Mine isn't that artful, but still was fun to put together.Lunch included: 1 sandwich of turkey and Swiss on whole-wheat with .5 C of greens and some mayo, carrot sticks and green bell peppers, a clementine and half of a banana. (2 serv grain, 1 serv protein, 1 serv dairy, 1 serv veggies, 1.5 serv fruit + discretionary cals in mayo) Kendall had the same plus another sandwich.

Dinner was late, but delicious! I made chicken and veggies in parchment paper with rice pilaf (3 oz protein, 2 serv rice, 1.5 serv veggies). I put two slices of lemon on the bottom, the put on the chicken breast, then threw in some zucchini and red onions. I drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and Old Bay. It came out great!Today's Totals:Grains: 5 servDairy: 2 servVeggies: 3 servFruit: 1.5 servProtein: 2 servDiscretionary: 200 cal